As spring was here, our garden/outdoor space needed a refresh and I didn't want to spend a lot of money and just buy new furniture or planter boxes so I thought why not try and build it myself. Surely I can do it even though I have little idea about building stuff with tools, wood etc right? I've been getting the tickle to create and transform something that seems old, tired and unwanted into something with WOW and learn something new along the way ... so on my way I went to give this upcycling - repurposing stuff a go! Here is my very own and first Wooden Pallet Chillout Lounge created with the help of my friend Miss Mascara Me.

The search for free, heat treated and good quality pallets

I did some research and heat treated (marked by the symbol HT) is the safest kind to use rather than chemically treated especially if they're being used to hold vegetables/herbs or sanded for painting. Luckily there is a factory near where I live and the guys there were more than happy to give me the pallets they were throwing out, so I picked out the nice and clean looking ones. They seemed impressed to have a chick try out some handy work ... tradie chick they called me hahah. They even kindly carried them home for me!

Let the sanding begin!

To get them into a decent enough condition to paint, we needed to sand them down first so I got myself a nifty little Ozito 1/3 sheet orbital sander from Bunnings for about $35. I didn't want to spend a lot on it but wanted something decent and simple enough for a beginner to use and do the job. Miss Mascara Me had a detailed sander so this was useful for the corners, edges and harder to reach bits whereas my sander worked well on the larger areas.

Painting up a storm

I originally was going to get Taubmans Sunproof Max as it's a good quality paint until I found a great bargain at graysonline for a brand new 10L can of Nippon exterior premium acrylic gloss paint worth $125 for only $9 at auction! Chuffed with that great find! Nippon is a Japanese brand which was previously stocked in Bunnings. The sale included a tinting voucher for $2 a litre at a Taubmans or Bristol Paint store. To my surprise the $20 tinting I paid included $20 worth of products of my choice as well so I got a paint brush 3 pack set, paint can opener, sanding block and dust masks. This paint deal was getting even better!

Putting it all together (including a pallet table too!)

After playing around with some different looks and combinations, here is how it progressed.

We even built a little table on wheels with dismantled bits of pallets to match :) Dismantling was definitely not easy with the amount of nails they put into these things! After trial and error with a quite a few broken planks, sweat and hard muscle power (and a hot bath after to sooth those muscles) we managed to get enough usable bits of wood and even nails to reuse. Here we also learnt how to use a hand saw for the first time! I bought a Stanley Handsaw for about $10 and a work bench for $20 at Bunnings to get it done without accidently chopping our fingers off!

Experimented with a few cushions and plants here and there to dress it up and make it a comfy space ... and whalla!! I love it! I'm amazed at what we managed to create out of old unwanted pallets. I think I'm addicted now hehe ... My mind is racing with so many more ideas! Stay tuned ...So what do you think of our first effort into upcycling old wooden pallets?

How does the back stay up in place? Does this only work leaning against a wall?

Reply

Miss Freckles

30/3/2014 03:18:27

Hi Aditra, my one leans against the wall so I was lucky there that I didn't need to do anything extra to it. If you want to create yours so it doesn't need to be against the wall, you can secure the back and base together with a bracket like this one from Dragon Drobac on Home Talk http://m.hometalk.com/#!/2911423/pallet-furniture. Or if you wanted to keep the look of the bracket more discreet, you could attach it on the back.

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Tanja

31/3/2014 17:05:52

Great! How many pallets did you use?

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Miss Freckles

1/4/2014 02:50:07

Hi Tanja, I used 3 pallets for the lounge. The base 186x82cm, the seat 121x80cm and the back 120x60cm. The table was another smaller pallet 33x19cm. As you can tell, the pallet sizes didn''t all line up exactly but they were close enough to still work.

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laurissa

1/7/2015 23:57:43

Hi, as i am looking at your finished project, I cant help but notice that the table looks bigger than one foot. 33 cm is 1 foot. Can you explain this as I am trying to duplicate your project. Thanks! <3

Miss Freckles

16/7/2015 12:42:00

Hi Laurissa,

You're right, as the table does look bigger than that and it actually is! I'm not sure what I was distracted by when typing then as I was way off LOL. That would be a super tiny table. The correct measurement is 84cm x 48.5cm (2 feet 9 Inches x 1 foot 7 inches). I've double checked the measurements for the other pieces and they are correct, phew!

dulcye campelo dos santos

21/5/2014 12:00:53

nossa achei lindo onde posso comprar.

Reply

Miss Freckles

2/5/2015 11:15:52

Comment Translated to English: sort of ... "our beautiful thought where I can buy".

Hi. I am very interested in starting this project. I understand you bought the pain online. What color did you use and how many coats of paint did you use?

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Miss Freckles

2/5/2015 13:49:22

Hi Tamara,

That's awesome :) Yes I bought the paint online and I had it tinted to the colour Agate Grey from the Bristol colour range. I used 2 coats of paint. It was self-priming so I didn't need to use an undercoat first to seal the wood, but if I was to do the project again, I would use a tannin blocking paint as an undercoat as well. Over time, there has been some tannin bleeding (goey sappy stuff) in spots so that needed touching up.

Would love to see your completed project too!

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jones

23/5/2015 16:03:58

What kind of nail did you use

Miss Freckles

16/7/2015 10:15:57

The lounge sits outdoors, so I used galvanised nails as they are rust and corrosion resistant.

Kathy

4/5/2015 18:08:44

I love this!! Would you be willing to post more detailed instructions? I would love to make this for my daughter. Thanks.

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loiva regina

20/5/2015 14:50:07

muito lindo seu trabalho adorei parabéns

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Joanne

21/5/2015 01:27:11

Hi Miss Freckles,
I just love your pallet seat and I have saved your design to my pinterest and I am using as a guide for my own pallet design deck furniture. I was wondering where you got your cushions at? My back rest will be about as high as yours and I am debating whether to go all the way to the top with a cushion or leave the top board exposed. I am having trouble finding cushions to fit. The seat measures 48 wide and 24 deep. Most bench cushions are only 18" deep, not enough coverage. I will also be painting mine a peacock blue.

Reply

Miss Freckles

16/7/2015 10:58:24

Hi Joanne,

Thanks :) I got my cushions at Bunnings which is a home improvement warehouse store here is Australia. I was lucky it fit my lounge perfectly. A peacock blue sounds beautiful too.

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Janet

10/6/2015 18:41:59

Got my pallets (even found a double pallet for the base), the sander & the paint (chose deep purple) & getting ready to go !!! Yeah, just love this & have shared it with many friends as well as on my FB page. Thanks.

Its awesome..I have some pallets.how dif you attach the back to the seat?

Reply

Miss Freckles

16/7/2015 10:19:54

Hi Gladys,

The back isn't attached with nails or anything. It simply just leans against the wall and sits in-between the space of two rows at the base pallet.

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Ciara

4/11/2015 01:23:50

Hello! I absolutely love this design. Do you have a more detailed description of the DIY anywhere? I don't really understand how the bottom base looks like it does and how to get a design like this. I've saved some pallets from work and never taken on a project like this. I've seen other benches and sofas but this is my favorite.

Reply

Miss Freckles

8/2/2016 23:30:16

Hi Ciara,

Glad you love it! I haven't put together a detailed steps of the project yet, but will look at putting something together.

With the base, it is just 2 pallets sitting on top of each other. The bottom one being the longer piece, and the top one the shorter piece that just sits in the middle of the bottom. They're not glued or nailed together as mine were stable and heavy enough, but you can glue or nail them if you prefer.

I used 3 pallets for the lounge. The bottom base 186x82cm, the top base/seat 121x80cm and the back 120x60cm.

Hoping for detailed instructions on the how to putting it together. Base of platform looks like 2 pallets, did u wood glue them or nail them? THE actual chair how did you bring the back together to the sit of it. Thx

Reply

Miss Freckles

8/2/2016 23:44:59

Hi Jennifer,

You're correct, the base is just 2 pallets that simply sit on top of each other, with one being longer than the other. I didn't glue or nail mine together as they were quite sturdy already pushed in against the wall, but you can do if you prefer/feel your pallets need the extra stability.

The back of the lounge is another smaller pallet that isn't nailed, glued or screwed in. What I did is slot this pallet vertically in the last open groove of the pallet that forms the seat, then let the top of the vertical pallet lean back against the wall. This forms a triangle opening between the wall and the back of the lounge, creating the more comfortable reclined back. Hope that makes sense! I'm creating a step by step tutorial with pictures of how to create this design so that should make it much easier if I've confused you further!

Btw, I used 3 pallets for the lounge. The bottom base 186x82cm, the top base/seat 121x80cm and the back 120x60cm.

Reply

Wendy

14/3/2016 17:08:40

You are very talented, thank you for sharing.

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Tammie

15/3/2016 14:59:45

I started sanding my pallets today! Sooo excited about this project! Hope it turns out as nice as the one you did. What are exact measurements in foot or inches.

Reply

Miss Freckles

13/4/2016 22:40:40

Hi Tammie,

That is exciting!! Here are the measurements for you in feet and inches.